


Comfort: Short Fic Collection

by alice_dualswordlesbian



Category: BanG Dream! (Anime), BanG Dream! Girl's Band Party! (Video Game)
Genre: (i should write more trans content), .....mostly fluff, F/F, Self-Indulgent, Short fic collection, Trans Female Character (although there isnt much trans content in here)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-28
Updated: 2020-07-29
Packaged: 2020-09-28 15:34:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 14,205
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20428277
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alice_dualswordlesbian/pseuds/alice_dualswordlesbian
Summary: Sometimes I'm feeling really gay and then the words come flying out in the form of rabidly typed oneshots. I'm sorry it's just a gamer habit of mineWhether it's mentioned in text or not will vary, but the following characters are trans: Sayo, Ako, Chiyu, Reona, Aya and Ran. Any chapter with sensitive and/or spicy elements will have a Teen Rating ( T ) next to it.Contents:1. PareChu - In Your Arms2. AkoRinko - Turning the Page3. AkoRinko - Slow Morning4. SayoMaya - You Make My Heart Go BZZZT!5. AkoRinko - I Want to Embrace You6. AyaChisaHina - Totally Normal Friend Activities That Are Not At All Gay7. AkoRinko - A Most Dastardly Mystery!8. ChisaHina - At Peace ( T )9. Hina x Afterglow - i don't understand what's going on anymore ( T )10. SayoMaya - The Best Way to Make Out ( T )11. AkoRinko - Comfort





	1. PareChu - In Your Arms

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IMPORTANT AUTHOR'S NOTE: as of bandori season 3 this work is Broke because i did not realise chu2 and pareo's given names were considered deadnames in bandori's story. mark my words that i will one day write another parechu fic where i DON'T end up doing this because i must do these babies as much justice as possible
> 
> this fic said it was 1337 words long in google docs and now im feeling betrayed

She opens the door to the studio, thirty minutes early, and it's the same place as ever. The instruments sit on the stage at one end like exhibits at a high-end fashion store; various drum kit pieces, amplifiers, a DJ deck... and her keyboard is already sitting there too, since she left it here yesterday. At the other end lies a desk, countless digital apparatuses strewn on the shelves inside, contrasting with merely a computer and a few packs of jerky strewn across the top.

And of course, her beloved's.... wait, she's not sitting at the desk.

"Ah! Chu2-sama!" What's she doing, all the way over at her keyboard? Normally, she'd run right up to her and hug her, but the instrument could fall over if Chiyu gets startled by it... which she still sometimes does, a bit. Not as much as she used to, though~

"Ah, Pareo! I'm looking at some of the songs you have here. It's, uh... I just want to know more about your repertoire."

Oh, blessed day... any day where Chiyu says she wants to know more about her? Music to her ears. She doesn't even bother questioning why.

"About what I play? Chu2-sama... I had no idea you thought so much about me!"

"I-It's just for...! I-I mean, it's just so I get a better understanding of what you're capable of!" Ah, there's her cute grouchy face rearing itself in full force. "For the sake of my next composition. Right."

"Hehe, of course, of course~" Reona mouses over to her side and watches her as she peruses through the sheet music; the same set of treasured tunes Reona always makes sure to keep safe. She's played some of it to Chiyu before, but since then they haven't really been a topic of conversation between the two... so it's nice to talk about them once again.

"I see... I see.." Chiyu's hard to get, sometimes. She's definitely deep in thought, so she really might just be looking through these pieces for musical insight. But also, there's a budding hope in Reona that her earlier comment was actually correct. She's definitely improving her understanding of Reona's musical skill currently (she can tell from the intensity of her eyes), but she's talented enough that she might just be doing that on the side... Is she interested in Reona, or interested in music right now? Sometimes it's both, sometimes it's just the latter, and sometimes she can swear it's just the former...

"Ah. I..." See, there's the raised eyebrows and slightly agape mouth combo, now. "Pareo, this piece, the one called 'I Love'. Do you play this one often?" The last time she made that expression was when Reona showed her a necklace she made for herself, back when she was 8 years old. She can take the emotion to signify a sign of personal interest, right? "...Hey, Pareo!"

She feels a finger poking her on her nose; oh, right! "Huh! Oh! This song? Yeah, it's called 'I Love!' I've been playing that one a lot more lately~" Gee, she wonders why. Hehe.

"Yeah, I already saw its name, idiot..." she says, rolling her eyes. "...but I see. Hey, Pareo." She gets up from the seat.

"Yes, Chu2-sama?"

"Mind playing that one for me?" She says, standing up. "We have some time before everyone else arrives for practice, after all. I'm thinking something soothing in the background will be nice, while I work on my next song."

"Of course!" Bit of a weird change, since normally Chiyu just uses her punctuality as an excuse for extra practice. But she's not complaining; she prepares herself by giving her fingers a light warmup, as her companion heads back to the other side of the room.

As her hands roll the melody in, she can hear Chiyu clicking and typing away. Looking up, she can see a bit of the DJ's face peek out from the side of the computer; she's chewing on jerky with reckless abandon too, of course. She's a messy, adorable gremlin of a girl. 

All that typing and clicking Chiyu's doing doesn't really have any kind of coherent rhythm to it; and yet, somehow, it feels like the piece Reona is playing is all the better for it. It's a soothing, warming backdrop of ambience.

As the last chord takes the time to echo from one side to the other, there's a clear tap of the enter button from a computer keyboard, as if it were in response. Shortly after, as Reona turns her gaze across the room, a new piece of music starts playing.

"Eh? Is that your new composition, Chu2-sama?" It doesn't sound like it; the song is a lot cheesier than that (although she wouldn't mind if Chiyu sang something cheesy to her...).

"...N-no. I'm just looking at other pieces of music for inspiration."

"Ah, I see!" Immediately interested in anything her beloved's doing, Reona heads over to the other side of the room. "What's this one called?"

"It's just called 'You.' That's all..." Strange. She's hiding her face from Reona right now; is she shy about something? It's always cute when she's shy. 

"I see..." Reona responds. Chiyu doesn't say anything else, so the pair listen to the song in silence. Maybe she's concentrating, rather than being sheepish... oh, how heartrendingly distracting it must be to have to have her beloved Reona by her side~...

This is a pretty odd method for pursuing musical improvement, even by Chiyu's standards. Usually she has her headphones on when she's listening to music, too. But she's not going to complain if her companion's just letting her stand by her side, listening to this piece of music together... so she just takes it in, for a few more minutes.

"...Hey..." A meek word captures Reona's attention again. Chiyu's still hiding her expression.

"Mm? What is it, Chu2-sama?"

"S-so, uh. Remind me, Pareo, what was the name of the piece you just played?"

...She couldn't reaaaallly have forgotten already, could she? "It's called 'I Love'..."

"Y-yeah."

The two linger in silence for a second.

"...A-ah, uh." She's fidgeting, grumbling, muttering under her breath, there's a cute blush on her face... hello? Chiyu? "Uh. Remind me, Pareo... w-what was the name of the piece that's, uh... the piece that's... playing right now."

...? "Uh... um, it's called 'You', Chu2-sama-" Oh. Ohhhhh. Ohhhhh????? Ohhhhhhhh?????

She turns her head over to try and peek at Chiyu's face, and it's blushing furiously. Yeah, that confirms it, right? When you put the two pieces' names together, they spell...

...

"...Chu2-sama!!!" God, she's so cute! She hears a yelp from Chiyu as she divebombs her side for a hug, but she can't restrain herself.

"Alright, alright, calm down!" Reona lifts her buried face from Chiyu's shoulder, and feels a hand combing through her hair. It feels like she's in heaven, all of it's ridiculously corny and exaggerated elements in place. "Sheesh, you're too much..."

"Hehe. Thanks, Chu2-sama." Her day's already improved, and it was bright enough already.

"...Hey. Reona."

"...Yes, Chiyu?"

"C'mere." The loveable fool gets off from her seat, and beckons Reona to it with one hand. She doesn't know what for, but she couldn't care less at this point.

"Certainly!" So she sits herself right down. Then, Chiyu shuffles onto her knees, and sits on top of her, leaning the back of her head onto the nape of Reona's neck. She has to mind herself not to jab her hands on Chiyu's headphones, but it's worth it so that she can start stroking her hair.

The two sit on the chair in silence, comforted in each other's embrace. She doesn't say anything else. Reona figures she doesn't need to say anything else, either; she's happy enough as-is. So she's just content to stare at a screen of elements displayed on the computer, right alongside Chiyu.

She's loving this moment. So she hopes her beloved is enjoying it too.

...Even when Chiyu's face is beet red upon realizing Rokka is looking right at them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> parechu.... soft
> 
> i could NOT find a decent localised substitute for chu2-sama so honorifics'll have to do,


	2. AkoRinko - Turning the Page

“And that’s when our tank got gung-ho and like, started aggroing EVERYTHING!” The necromancer’s arms sway in manic gestures, the swiftness of their motions matching to her volume. Her hands catch the searing light pouring through the window, reminiscent of the way a Sorcerer's gloves illuminate during their hotkeyed incantations.

“I... see... that sounds like it’d end the raid early...”

“And it did! Uggghhh, that means I’m still another step away from forging that armour set... Rinrin, I want it so bad...” She lurches her body across the table to emphasise the drama of her NFO grind, but the wooden surface is about as heated as it can be for a July afternoon, so it only takes approximately one second and a surprised 'eep' for her to retreat it.

Sitting across the table from her excited fiend of a girlfriend, Rinko tries her best to muster the next response. "I-if you want... I could join your next raid party for it."

"Can you?! That'd be great!" She jumps at the suggestion, relieving Rinko; a strange feeling to have, considering how often Ako reacts like that to her. Doing NFO raids together is basically a tradition between them at this point. Rinko nods in response.

"Yay!" Ako does a little stylized fist pump. "Thank you, my eternal, um... partner in runeweaving! ...Ah, you don't need anything from that raid though, do you Rinrin? Lemme help out on what you're farming next, too!"

"Ah, it's okay..." She can't help but smile at her wonderful girlfriend. "You don't have to help me out if it'd distract you..."

"But playing with you's so fun, Rinrin! Can we? I kinda want our character progressions to stay even with each other..."

There's no way she'd refuse that. "S-sure, then. Thank you, Ako." She leans over and gives her little necromancer a light peck on the cheek. It's nice to know an action that she's sure Ako'll always beam at. 

"Alright! Let's arrange a gaming night for it, then! Uhhhh....." The planner opens, and it's evident the file still makes Ako's head ache. She wouldn't dare say it, but the face Ako makes when pouting is really cute.

...Wait, why shouldn't she say it?

Shrugging it off, Rinko shuffles over to her side of the table to look at Roselia's schedule, making sure to avoid spilling the soda perched on Ako's bed. If there's one thing that's surprised Rinko since the beginning of Ako's first year in college, it's that her girlfriend's snacking is the only thing that actually makes her room messy. Other than that, it's as clean as Rinko's is...

"Uuuuuu.... we've got practice on Saturday morninnnnng, the concert on Sundayyyyy, the trip on Mondayyyyyyy...yyyyyyy... uhhhhh..."

"Um, Ako... do you want me to find a day to fit it in?" 

"I'll be fine!" She jumps. Then, she slumps a bit. Then, a bit more. And then finally, just a little bit more. "Well... actually... yeah, I might need your help... sorry, Rinrin..." She really is adorable, like this.

"It's ok. I'll sort it out..." Rinko takes the pen from Ako's hand, and now... she's just... sitting there, lingering. 

Watching restlessly as Rinko looks at the schedule.

She's unbridled, honestly. "Um, Ako... should we have some tea and relax for a bit?"

"Oh! Good idea!" It's not surprising to see now, but there's still something striking about how quickly Ako can jump into action. "I'll get that uh, chamomile, I think it was called? Those teabags, and make some!" 

She's at the cut-over to the kitchen in just over two seconds, so Rinko has to raise her voice a bit... "Ah, um! Ako!"

"Hmm? What's up?"

"U-um, in my bag... there's a novel with a blue cover I'm in the middle of reading..." Oh god, she feels so slow in comparison to Ako's activity. But Ako is letting her finish, without looking impatient or frustrated... that's just one of the things she loves about her. "...Would it be okay if you brought that here too?"

"Leave it to me!" And she's off like a shooting star again. Rinko can't help but watch while Ako turns the kettle on, fetches the cups from the cupboard (from a side point of view, her new ponytail look is really nice), checks Rinko's bag for the book... her eyes brighten like rubies when she spots it, like she's on a lost-and-found search.

She eventually remembers, right, scheduling; she calls Sayo (she's hearing Lisa laugh in the background, too), makes sure the current list of activities is right, and fits the gaming session for Monday night. Roselia makes life packed, but it's rewarding in its own way. 

Soon, the aroma of chamomile makes its way over.

"Sorry again for the trouble, Rinrin... ugggh, I'm still such a mess with this..." She's been apologizing more than usual, lately. She shouldn't have to worry about it that much, in Rinko's opinion; she's learned how to read sheet music lately, and even how to sew a bit too, bless her heart.

"It's no problem... thank you for the tea, Ako." 

Ako's giggle is infectious. "Hey, by the way, what's the novel about?" She's holding out the book in question in her right hand.

"A-ah..." It'll probably bore her a bit, honestly. It's a much more subdued take on fantasy compared to most works in the genre, and Ako's never been one for thick pages of lore. "W-well, it might be boring..."

"If you like it, it can't be! ...Do you like it?"

"Y-yeah. But..." This feels silly. Ako's been her girlfriend for six months and her friend for far longer, but she still can't help but recoil in fear a bit. 

This is pathetic.

"Rinrin. You okay?" There's a pair of hands clasping hers, and Ako's brow has softened a lot all of a sudden. "Do you wanna talk about it, or...?"

If there's one thing more beautiful and cool than anything else about Ako, it's her gentle smile; the more subdued one, that doesn't emerge as often, but blinds Rinko as if it were a dove sailing out from an un-rippled lake.

"...Yeah, I'd love to." Rinko picks up the novel from the floor with her free hand. "The book's... called The Unicorn's Ghost. It's one of my new favorites, so far."

"What's it about?" Ako's smile gains a bit more of the usual peppiness, and she sits down, leaning on Rinko's shoulder. Arms linked, Rinko can't help but trace circles on Ako's hand with her index finger.

"The plot seems a little complicated, but... so far, it looks like it's about..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> fun factoid: i wanted to write this at the start of the week, before the new jpdori gacha was revealed; then the cards were leaked and i saw the akorinko and then just doubled down on this like an animal


	3. AkoRinko - Slow Morning

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i had nothing planned for christmas content so i barfed this up at 1am. i am just thinking about them constantly

...

Beep beep. Beep beep. Beep beep.

...

Beep beep. Beep beep. Beep beep.

"Uuuuuuuuuugffggghh."

That's... Ako's grumble, right?

Blink, blink. There's... the sound of alarm. She can feel something shuffling.

...Open... your eyes... Rinko.

"Uuuuuuuuuu. Stooooop..." There's some more movement.

Rinko's vision greets her. There's a mess of purple and red lying in her embrace, tinted in a little bit of morning blue. 

An arm's being clumsily stretched over her. "Ufffdffgggghggddfggffhhhhhjhggghhghhhhh... no good... I can't reach it," she hears.

Ah. That's what's going on, probably...

A sea of cotton molasses. Rinko begrudgingly asks her brain to wire a movement or two. Just... she has to... turn her body over... reach out... grab the buzzing phone, and...

...There we go... the alarm's off.

"Thanks," she hears.

"...Mmm."

She manages to turn again, and she lazily wraps an arm back around her girlfriend. Ako's eyes are only half-open, gently seeping crimson into her violet. It's like a little radiator all its own.

"Mmfffh. What day is it, Rinrin?"

"Monday."

"Time?"

Rinko manages to sigh. "...7am."

"Ugh."

She feels the same. Her arms are like lead right now. 

"...Do you have any lectures today?" Ako asks.

"One... at 8am. I think you do, too."

A grumble. Ako shuffles so that she's buried in the nape of Rinko's neck. "...Don't wanna..."

"..." Silent agreement. December's cold is a fiercer raid boss than anything in NFO.

More shuffling. "Hey, Rinrin. Do you wanna go to your lecture?"

Oh god, no. "...It's comfier here."

"Same. I just wanna sleep."

She can feel Ako burying into the surface of her pyjamas. Rinko moves a hand and gently sifts through Ako's hair. That purple mane is... criminally cute, when it's not tied into anything. It's a little jellyfish from heaven.

Ako makes a few hums, and pushes herself into Rinko's hand like an affection-starved cat. "...Rinrin... I don't wanna gooooo... my dark reserves... are at an all-time low..."

She giggles. "Let's not, then. We'll say we... were farming textbooks."

"Stationary profession... level up." Ako murmurs. "Level 8. Can now craft... stronger pencils..."

There's a few bouts of giggling. "It's vital for the... dungeon boss," Rinko responds, ruffling Ako's hair. "To get around its... Late Essay Submission skill..."

There's more scattered chortling. "Riiinriiiiiiiin~..." Ako merrily moves her head up, and starts planting little kisses around Rinko's face.

Daydreams of honey-glazed sugar. She can't help but giggle as Ako presses messy smooches on her cheeks again and again. It's so relaxing, that they can know each other's boundaries like this. 

"Rinrin," Ako meets her eyes and pleads. "Can we kiss? I wanna."

"Okay." Rinko leans closer...

...And a mischievous demon whispers inside her.

That's perfect.

Ako's expectantly awaiting her lips. But then, Rinko grins, and pinches her girlfriends' cheeks with both hands instead.

"Affrfrgrhhhgh!" It's adorable; there's a little mesh of shock and confusion.

"Hehehe! Magical Bindings... my newly unlocked wizard spell."

"Nooooooo! You enabled PVP from the start!"

Full-on laughter, dancing through the air. Then Rinko plants a kiss on Ako's lips. Ako kisses her back. Then another in return, then another... Ako's so cute. Short Ako in school was cute. Tall Ako in college is cute. Why is every Ako so cute? Why can't she just kiss Ako all the time?

...Eventually, Rinko slumps back onto the pillow. "...Hehe."

"Hey, Rinrin~." Ako brings their foreheads together. "Let's get some snacks and play Smash Bros today."

"...Okay." Gaming with her girlfriend beats attending a lecture or two. "Should we... do team battles online again?"

"Yessssssssss," Ako rumbles through the duvet. "Let's pick... the Pacman Ike combo again..."

"Okay. In a bit, though," she responds. "...The bed's comfy. And it's cold outside."

"Hehe. As you wish, my fellow necromancer! ...Do you want me to be big spoon again?"

"Mm." Rinko hums, and turns over to let Ako wrap around her sides. She can't help but sing as she feels her girlfriend's breath tickling the back of her neck, and she lets herself sink right into the mattress.

Yes... this is just fine. A lecture or two can wait, if it lets her melt in her fallen angel's love... for a while longer, at least. Maybe after a few hours of messing around. Or a lot. Maybe the day, even. 

...Sure. Why not be selfish, and take the whole day?


	4. SayoMaya - You Make My Heart Go BZZZT!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hehe.

Her work pushes through the time.

A drum kit’s so intricate. It's made of so many pieces that need delicate care and proper setup. But its elaborate nature just makes playing it all the more exhilarating.

Her work... pushes through the time.

...

....Okay, she's never wanted to take a break from work so bad. Not because it's tough right now, no! J-just, because...

...When break happens, she's...

"Yamato! You can go and have lunch now, y'know!"

YES! I mean, don't squee- "Thank you very much!"

She leaves the auditorium and heads backstage with what's probably an embarrassing amount of enthusiasm. Not checking the time constantly was definitely helpful in making the wait feel shorter-

W-wait. It's 5 minutes before lunch break is supposed to start. The manager... did she let her leave early? Oh god, does she know?! No, no... even she isn't that perceptive. C'mon Maya, breathe...

...Oh god, she's so, so, so excited though-

"Maya."

"W-weeeegh! Sayo!" Oh god, every piece of that smooth cold tone is the best surprise ever and- o-okay, okay, calm down! Act natural, Maya! She turns around; "Um, sorry for the weird sound. Thanks for coming to visit; it's a really nice surprise!"

"... It's nice to see you too. My apologies for not texting you about it until this morning." She looks a bit flushed; maybe from exhaustion. "Has work been okay for you today?"

It starts spilling immediately. "It's been fascinating! I had a little trouble focusing, but I have to tell you about the effects pedals I got to use; I've never seen anything like them! And- oh, well, actually, I-I'll be having band practice with Pastel*Palettes until the evening today, but after that..." D-don't make this look awkward... "...Would you like me to call you later?"

"I would love to. That's what we usually do, isn't it- ah. You've just reminded me."

"Eh? About wha-"

Oh, wow... t-that smirk, on Sayo's normally calm and reserved face... huhehehe...

"I've recorded the A5R and AC5R fingerstyle, combined with all the amplifiers you listed. Just as you asked." That armfold! "...I hope it wasn't a bother, letting me intrude into your home."

Ah. Now she remembers; yeah, let's try not blush from thinking about how this plan accidentally resulted in lending her house keys to her g-girlfriend... instead, she returns Sayo's grin as much she can. "Huhehe... thanks for that! I can't wait; we're still sampling those recordings on Saturday, right?"

"Of course. As we scheduled," Sayo smiles; and then starts looking away. "Maya. I... well..."

Pace, pace.

"...Well..."

"Sayo? Is something wrong?"

"Um. That wasn't my main reason for visiting. Instead... it was..."

Wow. Sayo doesn't usually stammer this much. And she's still a little red, too. Is she feeling sick?

"...y-you don't need to raise your expectations. It's hardly worth me wasting your lunch break."

"Ah... i-it’s fine, really! It's always nice to see you, especially considering our schedules. So, what’s the-"

Sayo's just gotten down and unzipped a bag.

...

...Is that... sticking out of Sayo's bag...

...for... her...?

Sayo stands up again. She's blushing like a firestorm, timidly holding the box behind her back. "It's... our 3-month anniversary, and... today's... also..."

Ah. "V-Valentines Day," she croaks.

"Yes. So..."

...

help

"That's why I thought I'd give you this."

She breathes. It's rather fluffy for Sayo's tastes; the box is a hot-pink heart, wrapped in a little teal ribbon. She... almost wants to take the ribbon off and see how she could dress Sayo with it... maybe it could tie Sayo's hair? Or would it be better if she wrapped it around the curves of Sayo's neck-

"Is it... not to your liking?"

Ohhhhh, wait wait wait, she's supposed to be responding! Oh boy "U-u-u-u-um. Um!" She... she's gonna ascend to heaven. Does heaven have audio mixing courses? "Sayo... can I really have this?! Is it ok?"

"O-of course. We are dating, after all..."

Yeah. Th-they are, aren't they? No need to make sure!

"Hu... huhehe. Huhehehehe! Heeheehee!" Electricity’s dance, it carries you so fast. She happily takes the box. "I-I'm really grateful, Sayo! Thank you! Um..." She fishes out a little pouch in return. "I was actually planning on giving you this later. It's just a few chocolate lollipops, but..."

Sayo's breath relieves her. The pouch is accepted. "T-thank you."

She can't take it anymore. "U-u-u-umm! S-Sayo! Am... am I... allowed to eat these now?"

Sayo blinks. "Why... why would you not be? Go ahead, p-please."

"Then I'll dig in!"

Maya sets the box down to the ground with a huge grin on her face, neatly unties the ribbon, throws open the lid, and hoists the box back up, gleefully eating one of the chocolates immediately. It's grained with almond, maybe, but she's not thinking about that. She’s just... thinking about how amazing something tastes, when someone gives it to her. She's never been a valentine recipient like this before!

"...Huhehe." She smiles. "It’s delicious! Thank you, Sayo-"

.

Sayo’s entire face is completely flushed.

"Um. Are you okay, Sayo? Do you have a fever? If we were supposed to eat the chocolates together, I'm sorr-"

"N-no, no. That would be ridiculous of me. It's." Sayo bleats. "I was just... you're... breathtaking."

.

"...Wha? But... I was j-j-just eating ch-chocolate!"

"I-I'm dreadfully sorry," Sayo sweats, "That must have seemed highly inappropriate of me, and-"

"N-no, it's ok! I'm just surprised!" And far more lovestruck then she'll ever say! "Uh. Um. How about! You try! A chocolate too!"

"Oh. Yes. That, might be... fine?" Sayo fishes a heart-shaped chocolate lollipop from the gifted pouch; amazingly, it somehow hasn't melted from the sheer heat of their combined embarrassment. "Um... should I just. E-eat it, then?"

"Oh! If you're having trouble eating it, I could feed it to you-"

...

...

...

...

...

...

"..."

"..."

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

"...Pfft!"

"Pffthaha!"

"Hmhm~."

"Hehehe!"

"Th-that might be a bit much, I think..." Sayo bashfully looks to the side.

"Y-yeah. Sorry about that."

"Well..." Her gorgeous girlfriend lets a small, heart-throbbing smile adorn her face as she presses the chocolate lollipop to her lip. "I'll certainly have you in mind when I eat it."

Chomp!

And that's when she knows...

...She's... god, she really lucked out, didn't she?


	5. AkoRinko - I Want to Embrace You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i. the ako white day event card. i read it

"H-hey, Rinrin..."

She blinks, and turns. "Ako... are you okay? You're... kind of wobbling, a lot."

"I-I'm fine! No need to worry! I just wanted to ask a question!"

She says that, but... she looks a bit red in the face. Is she okay?

Rinko goes away-from-keyboard for a moment, and turns on her chair to face her... w-well, girlfriend of 3 months. It still feels surreal to say that. Well, they never actually declared it, but that's what it's become. Right?

She shrugs off the memories of held hands and pecks on the cheek. "What is it? Are you... feeling alright, Ako?"

"Yeah! All f-f-fine!" Ako tries to incorporate a blown kiss into one of the Ensemble of Six Ultimate Magical Poses. "O-oh, t-t-t-that probably looked really embarrassing, just ignore that, um! Question! Do you wear, um. Any clothes where your arms show?"

"?" That's... for some reason, she feels a little jittery when she hears that. "Um. Yeah, I... wear a few in the summer."

Ako jumps. "Yes! My plan'll work! U-um, I mean! Thanks, that's all I needed to know!"

"Y-yeah. You're welcome."

...

Ako stands there, for a moment. Rinko can feel her own face flush a bit when she realises Ako's not red because of a cold, or anything like that. She doesn't look worse for wear. Is she... shy? Is Ako shy about something? It's rare, but she has seen Ako act skittish before. Usually, it's when they're playing together, or having a sleepover, and their hands touch and...

....n-no, focus...

"Um!" Ako's rondo of jittering snaps her out of her haze. "Um, um. Rinrin, I have... another question! Could you show me one of your arms now?"

.

O-oh. "Um. A-Ako..."

"A-aaaaaahaaaaaaaaaaaaaah, forget it!!! Forget it, I didn't mean to make it sound weird like that, I'm sorr-"

"N-no, it's okay!" She hurriedly waves. "I... I know you didn't mean anything strange. It just sounded..."

"U-um, let me reword that! Could you roll up your sleeve? I-It's just... there's a dark vestment I must bestow on y- I-I mean, there's something I want to try on you! U-um, I mean, there's something I want you to wear, if you're okay with it!"

Something... for her to wear?

Wait. Then...

"Um, sure." Rinko stands up. "A-Ako, I... could you wait here for a moment? I... have something, too."

"Oh. S-sure!"

What seems like 20 seconds feels like a whole minute. And yet, when she finally retrieves the accessory, she spends at least another 30 seconds trying not to blush from thinking about it. Just go, just go, and let the feelings carry everything forward, don't think about it too much, keep walking.

"Rinrin!" Her girlfriend's so cute. "Um, could you-"

Ako's jaw drops. Rinko blushes, but she holds it out. "Um... I made this a while back. I was... thinking of when to give it, but I couldn't decide."

"Rinrin..."

It's a bracelet. Specifically, a carefully woven copy of the Dark Ultra-Kaiser's Abyssal Talisman Bracelet. She's discarded another version of this she wasn't satisfied with already, but it's too late to go back on this one now.

...Although seeing the glow in those crimson eyes, maybe it was all worth it.

"Ri... Rinrin!" There's that lovely, dazzling smile, the one she just wants to hold forever. "Can I wear this now?! Please, please, please please please!"

"Yeah. G-go ahead."

She walks right up and takes Ako's arm, forgetting any and all hesitation in that moment. Slowly, gently but surely, she slides it onto Ako's wrist, relishing the touch while she can- "O-oh. Sorry, um. Here it... is. Do you like it?"

"I do! I love it, I love you so much, Rinrin♡!"

...Hehe.

"Um. Rinrin, could you close your eyes? I want... to see how this fits you."

"Yeah. Sure."

Nary a second later, she does it. Any fear she has melts away; no, in fact, she's suddenly feeling a craving for Ako's touch. She lets herself sing as her lack of vision lets the feeling of Ako's tender, sugar-rushed fingers roll up her sleeve and dance on her skin. Something made from felt and wool clumsily lands upon her wrist.

"Yeah.... yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, this is really really good! It matches perfectly!" It's a motorcycle of glee. "R-Rinrin, you can open your eyes now!"

She'd dare to say it's presumptuous to know the answer. But when she opens her eyes, her indulgent wish is granted...

...

...and the very same kind of bracelet is on her wrist. They both have it, now.

"..."

"I-I." Ako's voice. "I wanted us to match in real life, too."

...

...It's hard enough for her to stare at Ako without burning up, no matter how big the smiles on their faces are. So, instead, she closes her eyes for a moment.

"Do... do you like it, Rinrin?"

"Yeah. I do. Did you... make this?"

"Y-Yeah! I asked for Lisa to teach me, and everything! Sorry, I would've asked you, but I wanted to keep it a surprise."

And it floods.

Everything about every piece of joy Ako has, every piece of joy she has, floods, spills into an unending surge that makes her feel like she could walk a mountain in her head and see every blade of grass and every snow-painted tree.

Movement.

"Rinrin? You ok-"

She opens her eyes...

...and before she knows it...

...her lips are resting on Ako's.

"Mmm..."

10 seconds, before she realises she might have gone too far.

Violet, unable to stop looking at Crimson, ends the kiss. There's a gasp from her beloved, caressing her ears. 

She doesn't remove her hands from Ako's shoulders for another good minute.

...

...And their smiles remain. That's... that's good. That means...

...This is just fine.

Rinko smiles. "Thank you. Let's... wear these together sometime, when we play NFO. We'll... match in real life and in-game."

And Ako gives her the biggest, toothiest grin she could wish for. "Yeah! Let's blaze our dark betrothal forever and ever!"


	6. AyaChisaHina - Totally Normal Friend Activities That Are Not At All Gay

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> it is 1am

...This is... is it bad she's feeling weirdly happy? 

She's supposed to feel awkward about this, isn't she? Argh, she doesn't know! Someone help!

"Aya? Is something troubling you?"

"E-eh?!"

Her internal yelling gets interrupted by the melody of Chisato's voice. Chisato's... well, t-this isn't the first time they've been this c-close to each other, b-but... but!

"Ahahaha☆! Guys, look, look! The main character just fell into a pothole!"

"Eep!"

She lets out what's probably the most embarrassingly high-pitched shrill of her life as Hina's movement brushes their shoulders together. 

"My, how charming," Chisato says, clearly uninterested. "Don't you agree, Aya?"

S-stay calm, Aya... pure thoughts... it's JUST body contact, that's all! Eve hugs you all the time...

"What's up with that~? Why'd this movie change from a comedy to a drama?"

"Perhaps the director had no understanding of the tone they wanted. I've known a few like that,"

Chisato says, deliberately shuffling a bit closer.

Pure thoughts, Aya. P-pure thoughts. It doesn't matter if her couch is a bit small, it doesn't matter how Chisato and Hina's voices sound in her ears... ringing, reverberating... (she shakes her head) i-it doesn't matter if Hina's accidentally(?) poking her from time to time as she moves, it doesn't matter if Chisato sent a flirty(?) message two days ago, it doesn't matter if she was caught staring at Hina's arm for a unreasonably long time at practice last week when they were all talking about whether anyone had muscles-

...i-is there a screen in front of her right now? Are her eyes functioning? Hello??

"Aya, you look dizzy! What's up?" Hina sings in one ear.

"If you're feeling ill, you could have a lie down." Chisato whispers in the other.

Aya.exe isn't responding. The program's flatlining on Hina tugging her.

"C'mon, hey, hey, hey! You gotta pay attention! There's so much bwooshin' stuff going on here☆!"

"Yes, Aya. You should be paying more attention. To the movie."

Chisato locks their fingers together as she says that.

...O-okay, that's it! She needs a time out!

"Y-you guys!"

They both look at her. Oh god their faces are so close- "What is it?" "What's up?"

"Um... u-um!" She guffaws. "I-It's fun watching a movie together, but... c... could you... could you move a little bit further apart from me?"

They tighten the sandwich in response, something which promptly makes her go AAAAAAAAAAAA- "Why? I don't see a problem with our current setup."

"Yeah, yeah~! Do you not like it when we're hanging out?"

"O-of course I do! I-it's just... y-you... you haven't let go of my hands since we started...!"

"Ah. I see." Chisato moves her fingers across Aya's palm. "I hadn't noticed."

"Me neither, me neither~." Hina locks her arm around Aya's, and-

Wait, they're just moving closer now!!! "Y-you're lying! You're both totally doing this on purpose, aren't you?"

"Hmhmhm~. Maybe."

"Maybe, maybe☆!"

"Then, um. C-could you let go? I-I-I'm feeling too, uh... squished! Yeah, squished!"

"Very well."

"Sorry, sorry~!"

O-oh. They let go.

Now they're just... watching the TV screen again. A little further apart. They're not, um. Holding her hands, or leaning close anymore, or, um.

...W-wait, no, this is fine, right? This is what she wanted! ....Ooooooh, Chisato's hand was so soft, though... oh, no... oh, god, she totally liked it, didn't she?! But... wouldn't it be a little overbearing of her if she asked them to do that again? Wait, no, what is she thinking?! They're not even dating, so this is all way too close for them to be, isn't it? ...Then why were they being that affectionate? Were they just messing around? B-but messing around doesn't usually involve things like Chisato playing with her hair or Hina locking legs around Aya's ankle, or-

Okay, look, what if, for JUST a moment, she let thirsty lesbian Aya take over and; "U-um, you guys... why'd you move that far away from me-"

"The mise-en-scene of this shot is rather poor, isn't it, Hina?"

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever you just said."

"U-um... guys?"

"This movie's getting rather boring to watch."

"Nothin' boppin' about it now."

Aya turns to Chisato. "Y-you two, I'm trying to-" 

She sees a split-second smirk from Chisato, before realising a pair of knees have just climbed onto hers. She finds two magenta eyes amorously close to her face. 

"...E-eep."

"What's up~?" Hina wraps her arms around Aya's waist. "Did you miss us already?"

"I think she did. Let me guess, Aya... is this... what you wanted?"

Chisato cups her chin in one hand, and leans closer- 

"A-ahhhhh, wait a second! Wait a second!" She pushes herself back, but it's fruitless; Hina's blocking her escape route, locking her in place for her extremely pretty and unusually intimate bandmate to approach- "Ch-Ch-Chisato! Isn't this too much?!"

"Is it?" She whispers. "Why?"

"B-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-because! We're not girlfriends, or anything!"

Chisato tilts her head. "Aren't we?"

"You never said w-we were!"

"But. We. Could. Be~." She shivers as Hina leans right into her ear and grips tighter. "Couldn't we☆?"

"We... we could?"

"We could," Chisato affirms.

...Y-yeah.

Y-yeah! They could, couldn't they! So her last functioning braincell says, having discarded all sense of rationality and consideration. The heat on her face has frazzled every nerve in her brain, save for the ones thinking 'wow, my girlfriends are super gorgeous and they're really into me and they're really close to me and i'm stuck in-between them isn't this a dream become true-

"Y-yeah." Aya gulps. "T-that sounds good! Let's be girlfriends, and... um... and kiss!"

Ah. Oh no, she said it, she said the kiss word oh god sappho in heaven help

"Perfect. That sounds far more interesting than this movie."

The screen blacks out. All the lights are off.

"A... ya☆. Let's... play☆."

Hina's face buries into the back of her neck, and it's at that moment she decides; screw it. Let's just absolutely lose it. 

Aya releases the tension in her limbs, falling into Hina's embrace. Then Chisato gets ever so closer, and closer... she waits... she waits, and lets their eyes bore into each other for 3 seconds more......... and then Chisato dives in and kisses her and oh my god it feels amazing, and Hina's kissing her neck and it feels amazing, and-

.

.

...Wait, where'd they go?

...

...

Aya blinks, gripping the covers of her bed. She shoots up from her pillow, and-

O-oh.

Ah.

That. "...That was a dream, wasn't it?"

The flush on her face is still enough to break a volcano. Red as a tomato, Aya falls back onto her bed and takes a few minutes to process everything. Life. Death. The Universe. Lisa's shopping catalog. Band management. CD sales. How long it takes for her to brush her teeth in the morning and down the estradiol.

...

A few birds tweet from outside the window. Aya manages to think for 10 continuous seconds. 

...

...

...

...

...

She gets out her phone.

_hey guys!!!_

_do you wanna watch a movie with me today?? no particular reason haha_


	7. AkoRinko - A Most Dastardly Mystery!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> (minor tomohima too)
> 
> it's 3:30am!!!!

"Not in here, either... c'mon, Kanon! Where are y- I mean, where do you hide?!"

Fearless abyssal detective Ako Udagawa opens the door to the last unsurveyed room in the house, boldly stepping onto the carpet and searching for any possible clues with her trusty magnifying glass. But alas, she finds nothing! How could this be?!

"K-Kanon Matsubara, expose your true form!" She poses. "Himari, Ran, Hagumi and big sis must have fallen by your hand. You are the only possible culprit, now that everyone else but us have been silenced. None can escape the eye of detective Ako!" No response. "...N-none can escape!"

"Is she... not here?" Her trusted assistant Rinrin walks in. "Maybe she... evaded us..."

"But how?!" Ako gasps. "I've used my banal eye, my darkblood hearing, and yet have found no sign of her in this room!"

"What if she... snuck into another room, while we were heading here?"

"No way! I-I mean." She clears her throat. "How clever. Then I suppose our only option is to search this house again."

"Yeah," her companion nods. "Oh, um. But first... she might also be camouflaged. We should check to see... if she's blending in, with this room."

"Whoa! You're so smart, Rinrin! As expected of my eternal ally." She puts her magnifying glass away. "Let us survey by touch!"

Rinrin takes the walls and cupboards, while Ako peruses the floors and looks beneath the bed. Together, their eyes and hands search for any trace of the most rogue of all jellyfish... but no textures look out of place. Aw, darn.

"B-blast. What a fearsome foe Kanon is." They regroup near the room's exit. "Rinrin, we gotta search the rest of the house!"

"Yeah. Let's, um... do that."

"Still, this is pretty weird." Ako takes a moment to ponder, hand on chin. "Big sis said you're not allowed to hide, since it's meant to be a mystery..."

Chik!

"I wonder what could have-" She processes the sound. Behind her? "What happened, Rinri-"

The door is shut.

Ako is trapped in the room with her trusted assistant.

"Rinrin?" She can't see her girlfriend's eyes. "Um, what's up?"

"Ako..."

Something changes.

When Rinrin lifts her head again... h-her violet gaze has a fearsome shadow to it, one that sends shivers down Ako's spine. And that subtle, confident smirk...

"...Kanon wasn't playing this game with us, remember?"

"E-eh? She wasn't?"

"She wasn't~."

A most oddly menacing tilde. "A-ah, then, uh. We must have imagined she was-"

"I'm the one who claimed she was the culprit... remember?"

Eh? Oh, yeah, that's true. But why's-

Oh. Ah.

...Uh-oh.

Rinrin takes a step forward. Fearless demon Ako feels a bead of sweat. "Ako... we're the only two left. And the detective can't be the culprit... can she?"

"Th-then, that means..."

Oh no! She's been betrayed!

Quick, Ako, flee! This can't be over; if she's defeated here, none will ever know of this crime! Search this room, search! A-aha; she spots that there's another door leading out! She takes a step forward-

-and freezes immediately as a soft, silk hand grips her wrist.

A voice captures her ears. "It's too late for that, Ako~."

"W-wah!"

She's spun around, and laid gently onto the carpet. The hero of the story finds her head lying on the ground, held in the clutches of the most dastardly hidden villain. It takes all her mettle to keep her composure as Rinrin lies upon her and slips an arm around her back. "Don't you remember?" Her captor sings. "When the culprit silences everyone other than the detective... it's game over."

S-she must ignore whatever blush may be on her cheeks! "So this was my true enemy... the demonic R-Rinko Shirokane!" She gulps. "For what reason would you commit such a heinous deed?"

The villain giggles; "You see... um," before briefly pausing to consider her villainous motive. "Animal Crossing: New Horizons... was... out of stock. And everyone in this, um, residence... had bought a copy. So I..." She then formulates an equally villainous method. "Casted sleep spells upon them... so I could steal their copies and play it at home."

"H-how fiendish!" Ako trembles. "Such a crime s-should, um. Earn you a jail cell DIY recipe! By a detective's hand!"

"...Hmhm... hmhmhmhm~."

Rinrin starts leaning in. Wait, hang on-

"It's too late to stop me now... little detective."

R-Rinrin's pressed down... Ako has her wrist pulled up with one hand, and her lips touched with the index finger of the other. Her head begins to heat when a curl of Rinrin's hair t-touches her cheek.

"You lost the game... so sit still... and let me put you to sleep, okay?"

C-curses. There's no escape!

A chuckle. "Good~. I'll reward you, Ako... with a special sleep spell. The kiss... of death."

Oh no! A-anything but that!

W-what should she do? She must never give up; there's always a way out of situations like these! ...B-but Rinrin's hand is so soft, and her eyes are so pretty... truly, Ako finds herself cornered by her girlfriend's wiles!

Wait. She has a realisation. Why not let herself be wiled? If Rinrin offers the kiss of death, then...

...the counterspell is...!

Ako lifts her body up, surprising her companion. "Rinrin... t-take the kiss of life!"

With her free hand, she brings their faces close, and kisses her companion on the lips.

"Mm..."

...

After two seconds, she pulls away.

"H-haha." She tries to look confident. "You tried to defeat me with the kiss of death. B-but if I willingly give you the kiss of life, its power is void!"

"I see... um... but Ako," Rinko blinks. "That still means I've taken your life, hasn't it?"

"Oh. W-well!" Uh, think for a sec. "I-if you simply give me the kiss of death again, then I'll get it back!"

"...Wouldn't that just mean I've taken two of your lives?"

.

Oh. Whoops.

...

"...Pfft!"

"Mmhmhmhm!"

"Fffwehehe!"

"Hmhmhm~."

Ako wraps her arms around. "How about you, uh... j-just give me a kiss of life, then?"

"...Okay."

And thus, with another brief intimacy, it all returns to equal!

...

...Uh, this has kind of just turned into them kissing, hasn't it?

"Ako... do you want to go again?"

"Yeah!" She gives a full teethy grin. "Sounds good to me!"

They throw away the rest of their embarrassment and logic, embracing as much as they can while they give kiss after kiss. One lasts two seconds, then the next lasts three... and it goes, on and on. There's nowhere else she'd rather be than in Rinrin's arms!

It's during the ten-second kiss that she hears the door opening. "Hey, is everyone done with the game yet? I'm hungry, and-"

Oh wait SOMEONE'S HERE

About three of her braincells manage to work and separate her lips from Rinrin's, before both of them whip their heads towards the door. But the rest of their nerves short-circuit, leaving the zero-centimetre distance between them completely and utterly visible to Himari.

"..."

Silence.

"...U-um..." Rinrin speaks first. "We-"

"I KNEW IT! I wasn't wrong!" Himari bellows. "Alright, Rinko, you can't hide it this time! I'm telling Tomoe that you've been kis... kis... k-kis..." She shakes her head. "I'm telling Tomoe about this!"

"NOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Ako reaches out in vain. "She's gonna take my Good Behaviour Bread Voucher if you do that! W-where's your lesbian allyship?!"

"Sorry Ako, but I'm a bigger ally for the bigger Udagawa!" Himari turns away. "That's why my girlfriend has to kn- I MEAN!" She shakes her head. "That's why Tomoe has to know!!!"

"Waaaaaait!"

But alas, it is all for naught. The true villain of this story has already left the two of them.

"A-Ako..." Rinrin looks at her. "I-if she bans that voucher, then we... we...!"

Ako shares her grim countenance; for the fearless detective and her companion have encountered the greatest crime of them all. "Yeah. If she bans it, we can't have melon bread after school together anymore!"

"It... can't be..."

"A day where I can't eat together with Rinrin... is a death knell." 

The detective collapses. "A-Ako!"

"...Rinrin..."

She tenderly brushes her girlfriend's cheek.

"Wake me up when... big sis... interrogates you..."

"No...!"

Ako closes her eyes. Rinko dramatically cradles her, and sheds a tear from  
her eye, looking to the sky from a dusty spotlight and seeking an answer for this injustice. But she receives no response. All she can do is mourn the (brief) departure of her beloved:

"Akooooooooo!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tomoe: Rinko. If Ako's playing games past 3am, what do you do?
> 
> Rinko: Um... t-tell her... that we should sleep.
> 
> Ran: Is that enough?
> 
> Tomoe: No. Now she has to name every Pokemon in order.
> 
> Rinko: Um... okay. National Dex order? Or do you... want me to list a specific Regional Dex?
> 
> Tomoe:
> 
> Tomoe: She's fine actually


	8. ChisaHina - At Peace ( T )

"Chisachi, have you ever thought of kissing a girl?"

She lowers the script she's holding, revealing an incredibly lax Hina lying down on her bed, kicking about with a _very_ particular kind of smile. "...Thought? I was under the impression we've done that plenty of times."

"Oh. Have we?" Hina sings. "I must've forgotten them. Alllll of them. Could you remind me what it feels like☆?"

Chisato makes sure there's absolutely no change in her relaxed expression, as she responds: "I'm afraid this play has no romantic scenes to rehearse."

And so it begins.

Hina doesn't make it easy; her grin softens as she puts a finger to her lips, looking at Chisato with a spine-tingling glimmer in her eyes. Once upon a time, Chisato would consider herself the opposite of affectionate; but her girlfriend absolutely shattered that belief once she entered her life. They both know there's nothing stopping Chisato from dropping the script, walking over to the bed and holding Hina in her arms for as long as she craves it.

"Do you wanna be rehearsing this play, Chisachi?"

"Straight to the point, aren't you?" She responds. "I'll admit, I was hoping it to be a more interesting story when I agreed on the role. But I'm hardly allowed to complain now."

"Mmmm... do you haaave to practice it this much, though?"

"Even my lesser performances can shape my career. These kinds of jobs are simply a part of what sustains my working life. Besides," Chisato argues, "doesn't Pastel Palettes rather enjoy watching me?"

"Yeah, that's true. You have so many different boppin' things you do up there☆." Hina gets up and rests her hands on her chin. "...But a good actor can't save a bad play."

"You took that line from one of my scripts, didn't you?"

"I dunno what you're talking about! I found it in, uh. An encyclopedia."

Pfft. "I wasn't aware you had an encyclopedia on low-budget movies."

"I don't! ...I do have a notepad on Leon's favorite petting spots, though."

She giggles. That makes both of them.

"Come on, Chisachi. I'm bored, and you're bored. I don't think they'll notice if you haven't super-whooshed your rehearsals." She leans forth. "So let's make out instead☆. Doesn't that sound more fun☆?"

"Does it?"

Hina blinks. "Obviously! C'mon, it's been fun every time, hasn't it?"

"Hm." 

Chisato feigns a thoughtful face. 

"I can't remember. I must've forgotten them. _All_ of them."

She can't help but break into a larger smile as she watches Hina process that response.

...

Chisato puts down the script,

"Ehhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! No fair, Chisachi!"

just in time before she's engulfed in a delightfully clingy hug; it takes all her effort not to joyfully laugh. Thanks to her quick prep, her arms are free to return Hina's embrace. "W-why, what ever is the matter?"

"You're being mean! I just wanna kiss, I just wanna kiss!"

"Too bad. I'm afraid you'll have to wait until I'm done rehearsing."

"But there's no way I can wait that long." Hina pouts, and gets... well, very grabby with Chisato's waist. "C'mon, please? It'll only be for a minute!"

"Hmmm..."

"Pleeeeaaase?" Hina wobbles her around a bit. "C'mon, I can tell you want to. You really, really want to, don't you?"

"My. Where'd you get that impression from?" Chisato smiles. "Well... I suppose I don't mind. But I do have a condition."

"Eh☆?" Hina jumps on the spot. "That sounds boppin'! What is it? Tell me!"

"It's quite simple, really."

Chisato grasps her by the shoulders... "Whoa!" 

...and pushes her back onto the bed. Locks of teal hair flay about on the duvet between Chisato's hands. Hina's gold, unblinking, star-struck eyes look at the face of the person who's currently straddling her legs. She looks... unbelievably fascinated. Just raring to pull Chisato in, isn't she? 

It would be a shame if she couldn't.

Chisato smirks and locks Hina into her gaze. "My condition... is that you don't move at all while I kiss you."

"At all?" Hina immediately wiggles around. "No way! I wanna move. I wanna hold you as close as possible."

"Oh my. That's unfortunate." She looks innocuously towards the table on the other end of the room. "I suppose I'll have to get back to my script, then."

A few seconds pass by. "Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. I see." Then Hina mirrors her smirk. "Okay, you go and do your rehearsal. This play's kinda important, right?"

...Well, well.

"There's no time for any whooshin' around right now, I get it. I know what it's like. Sometimes, in our work, you just gotta do what you gotta do. Even," she whispers, "if it isn't. What. You want. Right... Chisachi☆?"

"..." 

Chisato sighs. Her girlfriend, unfortunately... has her right by the heart.

"...You're quite the devil, Hina☆."

The second it bursts, she's already diving in. Her shackles broken, she throws Hina into a fervent kiss, locking their lips together with her unrestrained passion. In a chain reaction, Hina brims with energy from the sudden closeness, rolling Chisato onto her side and pulling her head in for more.

She's already lost track by the time they gasp for air. "You knew from the start I was teasing you, then," she breathes.

"Hehe... it was obvious☆. I dunno why, but I can tell when you're excited."

The mischief speeds a figure eight. "Perhaps we've spent enough time together for a sixth sense?"

"Hmmm. How does that work?" Hina ponders. "Maybe if we kiss more, I can find out..."

"I'd be happy to fast-forward that process for you."

Stardust alights. "So you're okay with it? It's okay, right?!"

"Hmhmhmm~." It's like she tastes a piece of Hina's every emotion. "If you're okay with it, then yes."

"Why wouldn't I be?" Hina sits up, and wraps her arms around Chisato's shoulders. "There's no reason for me to lie to you."

"...I know. After all, I've no need to lie to you, either," she sings. "Once you drew me in, all I could think of... was indulging with you."

That's all Hina needs to pull her in for more. She happily accepts it, letting her weight fall onto her girlfriend as her lips receive nothing but constant, never-ending affection. Hina's every breath echoes into her and makes her all the more forgetful of the passing hour-

...until it stops. "H-Hina?" It's so sudden, a pang of worry hits her. "Are you uncomf-"

But before she continues, there's a finger silencing her again. "15 seconds☆."

She blinks. "W-what?"

"15 seconds." Hina smiles carefree, and lies back down on the rug with her hands behind her head. "That's how long you have to go without kissing me now."

"I don't un-"

Oh. Oh no. Now she's realised. In fact, that expression is making it tormentingly clear:

She's getting a taste of her own medicine.

"Hehehe☆."

"H-Hina..."

She leans down, nearly on instinct, but a hand pushes her back up. "No moving~."

...Right. This'll be good training for self-control, at least. "Very well, then."

She closes her eyes and waits.

...

...

...

...

...

...

...it's dreadfully slow. 7 seconds in, she feels Hina's fingers crawl across her cheek until they reach the muscle of her neck, driving in that pulse of yearning. A bead of sweat drops. But she stays completely still.

Hina's hand sneaks into the back of her collar. Her breath is closer.

...

"Don't move, Chisachi☆..."

"H-Hina...!"

...

...

"Three more seconds☆..."

Chisato stifles her breath.

"Two..."

It's painfully slow. Each second is deliberately enunciated slower than the last, but she still stays put.

"...one..."

A moment, longer, and-

"Surprise☆!"

"Mm!" Hina's already taken the initiative and started the kiss again. "Mm-" But it only lasts a second this time. "...mmh??"

A wink. "Gotta wait another 15 seconds for the next one."

.

...Of course.

Chisato sighs bemusedly, smiling as she falls into Hina's arms. "I never quite know what to expect with you."

"Is it fun?" Hina grins. "It felt really boppin' when you did that to me, so I wanted to try it myself!"

"It's always fun being with you, Hina. Though I do feel a bit tired now."

"I'll stop teasing you then~." She's lifted back up. "How about this? For the rest of the day, you can kiss me as much as you want☆."

The colours of their eyes swirl into a mixture.

There really is no reason to lie.

"Well, when you put it like that..."

Chisato rests a hand around the side of Hina's neck.

"...my schedule is suddenly a lot less packed."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hina: would u still love me if i was a worm
> 
> Chisato: ...it's 1am


	9. Hina x Afterglow - i don't understand what's going on anymore ( T )

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is the silliest thing i've ever written
> 
> (warning: contains hina kissing multiple girls)

"Hina? Can I come in?"

For Tsugumi Hazawa, it seems like a moderately regular Friday. Nothing that mundane, since the Student Council's going to get real busy soon, but still regular enough. Even the president's penchant for pandemonium has become a part of her routine at this point, so she's well prepared for whatever could be thrown her way today.

Or at least, so she thinks.

"Hey, Tsugu! I gotta show you something!"

"I-I'm entering, then..." Tsugumi opens the door. "Sorry for the rush, I just need to get this sorted! It's about the culture festival; the principal hasn't approved for Afterglow to perform yet, and-" She's expecting to see something that'd be grounds for any normal student to get a scolding from the teachers. What she doesn't expect is for Hina to be 3 centimetres away from her face instead. "H-Hina? What are y-"

Then Hina kisses her on the lips.

.

...

"...Huh?"

"Hehehe. Your reaction's already worth it☆. Whaddya think?"

"A... a-a-a..."

...

...Okay,

Stay calm. 

Stay calm, Tsugumi. Life is chaotic. Afterglow is chaotic. Hina is chaotic. School is chaotic, the cafe is chaotic, Moca's convoluted pranks are chaotic, and even home is chaotic sometimes. Don't get too stressed, because this is just another tornado being thrown your way, and you'll handle it like all the rest-

She's kissed again on the side of her lips.

"H-Hina?!"

"Ahaha☆! You're redder than a tomato, Tsugu! That's so boppin~!" Hina grabs her arms and swings them around, still e-extremely close to her face. "How does it make you feel? I read this article which showed a bunch of different ways you could kiss someone, so I wanted to try them out with you!"

"---" Tsugumi tries to form a word, but her mouth fails her. She's unable to respond. Her senior's eyes are a hypnotising vortex to her.

"Here, lemme do another☆."

"---Oh." Oh, Hina's leaning in again "O-Okay-"

She's kissed on the side of her neck.

"B-bwah! H-Hina!" She can hear Hina merrily sing, peppering little smooches up to her cheek. There's no physical way her face could get any redder than it is right now. "U-u-um! This feels r-really n-nice and all, b-but, I need to talk to you a-a-about-"

She flatlines as her lips are taken again. It's actually really pleasant... Hina's affectionate with her sometimes, but having her be this close is another feeling altogether. At this point, the fruity-mint scent of Hina's hair just... makes her want to close her eyes, and... 

"Mm..."

"Hina. We need to talk."

Oh, that's nice, Tsugumi thinks as Hina wraps an arm around her back. Someone's knocking on the door.

...**Wait-**

"I'm coming in. You told us you'd get permission for Afterglow to perform, but Himari's had to spend the past half an hour trying to use sweets to bribe the drama teacher into-"

Ah. There's Ran, ceasing to move. Staring agape at the entrance.

Looking directly at her.

...

...Oh

a

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA**AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA**

"Heya, Ran☆!" Hina moves her head back and smiles at the new visitor, as if the arms wrapped around Tsugumi are the most normal thing in the world. "What's up? Why the swashy face?"

...

Ran's red-faced shock settles into a scowl.

"R-Ran... I-I, uh..." Oh, jeez, she'd have a much easier time explaining this if there wasn't adrenaline carousing through her brain. "U-um! T-this isn't... a-anything bad, I promise! Hina just-"

"Don't worry. I understand everything."

Oh boy. 

"Hina."

The word's jagged enough to make a serrated steel edge sound like cotton candy. With ice-cold enunciation, Ran points to the other side of the Student Council room and says:

"Move over there. Now."

"Huh? Why?" Hina smiles and leans over. "Well, you're making me curious, so... okay!"

The heat previously flushing Tsugumi makes way for razorpoint, sub-zero anticipation. She puts her hands together and offers a quick prayer for her senior, hoping she'll have a bopping time as a ghost.

Because when Ran looks at you in that way, your life is over.

"I'm here. What's up?"

Afterglow's shadowy blade of a leader walks silently over to the corner of the room, staring Hina straight in the eyes. Then,

**SLAM!**

Her hand shakes the building as she thrusts it against the wall, Hina pinned mercilessly in-between.

"_What. The hell. Do you think. You're doing. To Tsugumi?_"

...To say Hina looks dazzled would be an understatement.

"R-Ran," Tsugumi manages, "I-i-it's okay, really. I didn't m-"

"Answer me." Ran growls, baring her acidic fangs. "Got nothing to say? She hauls her ass over to every corner of this school constantly because of your ridiculous shenanigans, and yet you have the audacity to treat her like that. I want _a response_, Hina Hikawa."

"Whoa☆."

Ran presses her forehead against her prey's. "THAT'S all? Fine then! If you think I'm not going to throw hands, then you thought wrong. I'm going to kick your ass for Tsugumi's sa-"

Hina kisses Ran on the lips.

"-Mm?!?!"

.

Wait, what?

Sorry, what did she just do now??

Hello??? "H-Hina?"

"Mm!" Ran's face turns from stone-cold shriek to stumbling mewl in an instant. She's almost as red as the streak on her hair when Hina yanks her in for more- "W-what are you-" She pulls away for one second, but Hina persistently tugs at her. "-Mm... mmmhwait, hang on!" It doesn't stop until she more or less squidges Hina's face against the wall with her hands. "What the hell are you doing?"

"Dunno☆. You just looked really kissable when you cornered me. I wanted to see you blush!"

"Y-you..." Ran's at a complete loss for words. "D-don't you h-have any shame?"

"Why would I? This is so fun!" There's a yelp as Hina spins her around and reverses their positions. "C'mon, Ran☆! This is swishin'! Can we do more of this?"

Okay, come on. There's no way she's gonna say yes, right? Hina's basically dead-to-rights at this point-

"..."

Uh, Ran? Hello? W-what's with that change in expression?

"...Fine. Go ahead."

"W-" Tsugumi's jaw drops. "Wha-"

"Moca's been deliberately baiting and blocking me from kissing her all morning. I want revenge." Ran wraps her arms around Hina's head and pulls her back in. "Sorry Tsugumi, but I can't protect your innocence right now. I want you to record this. I'm gonna use the footage to make her mad."

"Y-you want me to WHAT?!"

"Sounds boppin'☆! Let's do it!"

Hina dives right in.

Somehow, Tsugumi is now staring at two of her friends making out in the Student Council Room.

...

...Moca, what did you DO?

"Mm..."

U-uh. T-this is way too embarrassing for her to look at directly. S-seriously, a-aren't they having a little too much fun messing around with this? Hello?

Ran breaks off for a second. "Tsugumi, are you recording this?"

"Yeah~. I've got it all right here~."

"Perfect. This'll be exactly what I n-"

.

Wait, that wasn't her talking, was it? That was-

"MOCA?!"  
"M-M-Moca?!"  
"Hey, Moca☆! What'd you come here for?"

"Fufufu~." 

The mischievous destroyer of worlds lowers her phone's camera to reveal a horrifying smirk. 

"It all went just as planned~."

"Y-you mean-"

Moca merrily twirls her phone around, which may as well contain a bomb inside it right now. "Yep~. Thanks to my grand schemes, I've got some VERY saucy footage of my girlfriend now."

Okay, hang on, stop, that's not possible! You can't plan something like that! Why even would you?

"Moca."

"Yeah?"

"Delete it. Now."

"Darn~." She does as told and chucks it right into the digital trash heap. "Oh well. Believe me, I'll definitely be able to remember it in my head, at least."

"Okay, that's the last straw. Make sure you've got Mario Kart out at the sleepover tonight, becau-"

"That was real spicy though, Hina." Moca smirks. "Mind if I get a piece of that action?"

"I get to kiss you too? Woohoo!"

"Woohooooo~." 

Hina runs in for a big overindulgent smooch. Somehow, Moca has her phone play the soundclip for Final Fantasy 7's victory jingle immediately after it happens. 

"Hey Ran, I just stole your girl~," Moca drawls. "What're you gonna do?"

"You're the worst person alive." Ran strides over. "Kiss me too."

"Roger~."

...

"...Guys..." Tsugumi mumbles. "W-we were supposed to ask Hina to get permission for-"

"Hey Tsugu, c'mon over. Join the kissing huddle~," Moca sings.

"Yeah. What're you waiting for?"

"C'mon, Tsugu☆! This is so boppin'!"

No. Enough is enough. From this point on, she's decided that none of this is real. When she goes to sleep tonight, she's going to erase this day out of her memory, completely and utterly.

"Oh, should we get Himari and Tomoe on it too☆? It's not a kissing huddle without all of Afterglow!"

"Good idea~ Himarine's all about kissing girls, so she'll love that."

"Fine. Let's go, then."

...

...Wait. 

Tsugumi shakes her head and snaps out of it. What are they doing now-

W-where're they going?!

"Tsugumi. Come on."

"First one there gets an extra kiss from the irresistible Moca~," the gremlin speaks. "Go, go~."

Hina immediately rushes forward. "Woo! I'm gonna get first place in no time, then!"

Ran's close behind. "Oh, yeah? Bring it!"

"W-wait! You guys, come back!"

...

...Before she realises it, she's the only one left in the Student Council room.

...

...

...

...

...

...

"Um. Guys..." Tsugumi manages. "The... culture festival..."


	10. SayoMaya - The Best Way to Make Out ( T )

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i have brain worms

"And one more time?"

_GRRRRRMMMM_

Nothing but the best for her. Keep the left hand firm, but not too heavy; just perch it confidently on the fret. Keep the pick steady, and don't let it jerk from your grip when you play on the string. That's the smoothest sound you can make.

After exactly 2 seconds, Sayo gently presses a finger from her right hand over the string in question, giving a pause that's hopefully _just_ abrupt enough. Maya gives the thumbs-up; she tends to have a lot more faith in Sayo than Sayo does herself, but she's probably a better assessor of Sayo's quality too. So it'd be best to return that faith and trust that it's come out alright.

"Shall I tidy the equipment up?"

"If that's alright! I'll get the sample ready."

"Understood."

She disconnects the cables and wraps them up properly (she's staked her life on making sure she never breaks Maya's equipment) before putting the two pedals back on their board. Then, she lifts the amplifier up and places it back in its box. For some reason, Maya tends to stare at her when she carries these kinds of heavy objects.

Good. Nothing's damaged so far, not with even the slightest scratch. That just leaves the guitar; she near-instinctively tunes it back to Drop-D, but then she remembers this isn't hers either. Maya might want to keep it this way, so let's leave it be and simply put it back on its stand. "...I didn't expect you to have a guitar."

"It's more for testing than anything else, really," Maya responds. "I know it sounds odd, but I have a small selection of instruments just for that purpose. Though it definitely helps to have an amazing guitarist play it for me!"

Suddenly, it's a bit hotter than she's used to. "I-I'm glad I could be of assistance."

"Eehhehehuehe, that's an understatement. Your playing gives me goosebumps, Sayo; it's made this sample so much better!" Maya fervently directs the computer mouse. "And... done!"

"Already?" 

That's a surprise, but Maya's grin is one of the most honest things in the world. She really is wonderful with all things music.

As Maya spins back around on the chair, Sayo sits down on an identical-looking chair next to her; one that Maya insists has always been here, and wasn't brought recently just for her sake. She has a look at the composition software Maya's got open. "May I hear a note?"

"Just a second... hueeehehehe..." That laugh makes her own anticipation build. "...guehuehehe!!! Alright, this mix should be fine! Hm... oooooh, how about a phrase? Sayo, you don't mind if I borrow a phrase from LOUDER, right?"

"Go ahead."

"Alright! I'll just recreate it, and..." 

How Maya manages to replicate it so accurately, she hopes she'll one day know. 

"...alright, let's hit... play!"

Sayo subconsciously grips her knees.

...

...Well, that's strange. It's not starting.

"Eh?" Maya gawks. "Did the window freeze aga-"

_VRRRMMMM-VVRM-VVRM-VVRM-VVRM-VVRM-VVRM-VRRMMMM_

Sayo's breath stops.

Thunder slams through her veins.

She didn't have a chance to see it coming. She's left with the full exhilaration of their efforts, at a moment where her heart doesn't have its guard up. 

"..." It fades out smoothly, and the track stops playing, leaving her with a switch flicked in her head to overdrive. Her heart is still pumping, her blood is still coursing with glee. It's the wordless, indescribable feeling that she could only deign to call unbridled excitement, unfathomable power; much like... the tastiest potato chip she's ever had. Actually, no; isn't that an understatement? Think about it; this might be even greater! Fries are meaningless in the face of this!

"Huhehee... gwooohohohoohhooo! YES!" Maya rockets back from her seat. "It sounds so good! Oh my god, I wasn't expecting this!"

"I-it's just a recorded instrument being played back, and yet..." Sayo balks. "I don't understand. Why did this particular recording sound so amazing?"

"Because we made it that way!" She yelps as Maya rockets her face adjacent. "Sometimes, when you test what you have, you end up finding something amazing! That's the feeling of EXPLORATION, baby!" A guffaw. "O-oh, my bad! I've gotta look ridiculous right now... huhehe..."

"I-it's alright." Sayo wipes a bead of sweat from her head. "To be honest, I'm having trouble containing my excitement. My heart's pumping."

"Mine too! I knew this'd be great, Sayo!! It all went according to plan," Maya rambles, "take the sniper-shaming accuracy of Sayo Hikawa's sound and a Classic Series Telecaster, add a classic combination of effects, and WHA-BAM!" She points at the BOSS GT-1 Mixed Effects Pedal on the shelf to her left. "Using two single pedals instead of this thing makes the tone SO much better, doesn't it?! Nothing beats using the highest-quality source of each type of sound alteration!"

"Indeed!" Sayo bores her eyes into the pixelated lines of the recorded sample. "I should make a note to invest in some more single pedals myself... that was absolutely incredible!"

"Wasn't it?!" Maya blurts out. "I can't believe it! Oooooogh, I really wish I knew more about composition myself now... making something with this'd be amazing! Maybe I should ask Misaki about it... oooohohohohohoohoho!"

Maya rockets her chair back, and-

"Oooohohohoh-WARGH!"

"Maya!"

That's her cue. She immediately leaps forth and catches her beloved by the waist. "Werurghgh! H-holy crap, that was close!"

"Thank god. The world could ill afford your injury." Sayo lifts her back up. "Are you alright? That seems to happen quite often with you."

"H-huhehe..." For some reason, Maya appears to be in a trance. "Yeah, I'm fine! Thanks for catching me again. B-but... um... Sayo..."

"Hm? What is it?"

"...C-could you, uh... well, you don't HAVE to, but, uh..."

...Oh. Oh god, WHY is she holding Maya so close- "I-I apologize!" She immediately breaks off. "I-I... I absolutely did not mean to-"

"N-n-no, it's alright, honest! It was really snug, actually." Maya scratches her head. "...A-AH, I MEAN! I-I-I, uh,"

They both shut their mouths before they can embarrass themselves any further.

...

"...Pfft!"

"Hmhmhm."

"Pffthuhehehe!"

"Hmhmhm!"

Maya smirks and adjusts her glasses. "We did it, Sayo!"

She smirks in return. "Indeed we did."

"We've created something incredible!"

"As we'd predicted."

"A grand success! Our powers combined!"

Her blood pumps. "A truly unstoppable force!"

"Electrifying!"

"Outstanding!"

"I can't believe how amazing it sounds, still!" Maya gleefully replays the recording, sending a wave of rumbling electronic delight pulsing throughout the room. "LISTEN TO THIS!"

"It's absolutely magnificent!" She exclaims. "You're every bit as incredible as always."

"H-huhehe... I was about to say the same to you!" Maya jitteringly steps over. "H-how about we, uh... y'know. How about we celebrate?"

"Absolutely."

She sits down on Maya's bed and opens her arms, eager to offer a comfy space. Every chuckle Maya seems to make at her actions is only further affirmation that she's at least passable at expressing affection. She'd hardly call herself understanding of how to be intimate, but... Maya always seems to be delighted when they snuggle up. Maybe she's finally understanding how it all works.

Her girlfriend tentatively approaches her lap. A nod of affirmation, and Maya happily sits down and reclines into Sayo's embrace. Sayo wraps her arms around Maya and rests her head on the crook between Maya's neck and shoulder. It's strangely joyous, doing this... she can't help but hum as their relaxation hug releases all the tension in her muscles. "Are you comfortable?"

"Just like always! You're the best." Maya leans her head over Sayo's and sings. "H-huhehe. You're holding me pretty tight..."

"O-oh." She loosens her grip. "I apologise. I didn't mean to be overbearing-"

"N-no, I actually-"

.

...She merely intended to lift her head, in order to address Maya. But, um. That has the unintended side-effect of reducing the distance between their faces to a mere few centimetres.

Maya's very close.

"..."

"..."

"...Sayo..."

"M-Maya."

"H... huhehe..."

If any of her thoughts survived the sudden closeness, they've been finished by Maya placing a hand on her neck.

"...Your lips look really soft, Sayo..."

"...!" She shakes. "Y-yours too."

"Um, can we..."

The rumble of Maya's voice is a haven. "I-I'd... like that."

She doesn't even question the kiss that comes next.

...

They keep it there. 

Now, here comes a question she imagines her peers would laugh at her for:

How on earth do you kiss properly?

She doesn't want to let go of Maya's lips. And Maya's only pressing herself further into Sayo, so she seems to return that feeling; in other words, they're at a bit of an impasse. How do they advance this interaction? It feels heavenly to be like this, so what's the logical next step in maintaining that heavenliness?

Her failure to try and answer that question is only amplifying the blush on her face-

"...Mm?!"

For a second, Sayo's mind draws a complete blank as Maya tilts her head and brushes her lips across Sayo's with a contented hum. 

The gesture makes her feel like she's about to blast through the ceiling. Maya's... always been enthusiastic at exploring things, hasn't she? Maybe she should try a 'technique' of some kind too, then... what shall it be?

She hasn't a clue. But she's too restless in her current state to do nothing, so she makes a guess as to what might be good, hesitantly opening their mouths slightly so she can breathe into Maya-

"Gwhgh?!"

Um. W-was that good, or bad? Maya's beet-red. She's not letting go, but...

...

...

...They're at a complete impasse now.

She moves her head a bit back. "Um." Maya starts. "What now?"

"I'm not sure."

"Me neither. It's, uh. A bit strange, isn't it?"

"Quite." Sayo nods. "I'm excited, but I don't understand what we're supposed to be doing."

"W-well, what we just did was pretty good. Right?"

"I-I suppose it was," she manages. "...Does that mean advanced kissing is a matter of breathing into each other?"

Maya chuckles. "Somehow, I don't think so. I've never heard of the phrase 'advanced kissing' either!"

Gah. "...I'm a fool."

"O-oh! No, it's not your fault," Maya says. "I wish I was better at this, honestly... I didn't figure making out was going to be so hard."

"Me neither... what should we do?"

"I'm not sure. Maybe we should ask the internet?"

"..."

"Ahaha, I guess that wouldn't be smart..."

They think, and think, and think. But it appears romantic intimacy is among the hardest challenges the two of them could face. For those whose skills and abilities rely on mechanical, pinpoint step-by-step experimentation and explanation, acts as natural and instinctual as 'making out' are utterly daunting. Never mind her crippling lack of talent; Sayo is simply dumbfounded by the sheer trial-and-error this process requires. What kind of act offers only the barebones guide of 'kissing' and 'hugging' to help you understand it? How can you improve at such an instinctual act when you're dependent on rigorous explanation to improve-

...No. 

No, hang on a second. 

"Sayo? You okay?"

The idea of kissing as an instinctual act... that's just the common perception. Has anybody actually tried to lay out a step-by-step process before? What if there truly IS a theory behind it that one can follow? Perhaps if they're thorough enough, they can...

"S-Sayo?"

She's decided. "...Maya."

"Yeah? What's up?"

She stares at Maya head-on.

And she declares:

"I propose we try and understand the best way to make out."

Maya's eyes brighten. "You mean..."

"Indeed." She smirks. "There's no question we can't solve if we're together."

"...! Oh, I get it! H-huhehehe!" Maya grins. "We need to practice! There's got to be an explanation behind making out!"

"You've read my mind. What if we created the perfect guide for it?"

"Then we'd be unstoppable! There'll be no more tension getting in our way when we're thirsty!" Maya shoots up and yanks out one of her drawers. "I've got a pen and paper! Let's brainstorm!"

"Of course. Right away!"

Sayo hurriedly moves the tea table in the room next to the bed. Together, the two of them seat themselves and lay out a giant sheet, marking the middle of it with a bubble simply labelled as 'How to Kiss Really Well'. This... this is their starting point!

"Right! Any ideas, Sayo?"

"Well..."

...

...

...Sayo draws a blank. "I'm not sure."

"Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm........."

...

...

...

...

...

...

They stare at the paper in dead silence. Maya hums with increasing animosity as she moves her head closer and closer to it.

...

...

...

....

.....

.......

.....................

..................................

...........................................Maya also draws a blank. "I have no idea." 

Sayo sinks in her seat. "Where do we even begin?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Maya: Oh! What if we film ourselves kissing and use that as reference?!
> 
> Sayo: Incredible... your ideas never fail to impress me, Maya!


	11. AkoRinko - Comfort

_Squish!_

"Rinrin~!"

Whenever she feels those arms wrap around her waist, Rinko melts. The smile pressed into her back spreads onto her face; Ako's the catalyst for a reaction that breaks apart every stiffened bubble of air in her body. All of a sudden, the Gigantamax Urshifu staring her Meowstic down on her Nintendo Switch isn't intimidating her in the least.

"Rinriiiin~... I missed you..."

She can't help but giggle. "...You only spent 30 minutes in the shower this time..."

"That's 30 minutes too long! Sleepovers don't last forever." A damp mop of purple hair moves up her back and pokes itself over her shoulder. "Oooooh, isn't that the Isle of Armour's final boss?!"

"Yeah..."

"Waaaaargh! Your Meowstic!"

Rinko giggles again. It's true that G-Max One Blow is far too powerful a move for her feline friend to survive; but that's fine. By setting up Reflect, he's already done his job. Now... in comes the ace! 

"You can do it, Rinrin! You've still got 2 Pokemon left!!!"

"Fufu... thank you, Ako..."

It should go as planned. With a tap of the big red button in the move selection screen, Rinko's player avatar withdraws the Gardevoir back into its Poke Ball and gives off a confident smirk. Then, the ball swells into the size of a boulder, and she hurls it straight into the air behind her.

_FWOOOMM_

"Ooooh, here it comes~! Mystical magus, descend!!!"

_WWWW... WWWWWWW....._

_SLAM!_

Swirling crimson vortexes rampage through the battlefield as Gardevoir becomes a tower of a Pokémon, staring down its hunkering opponent with poise and serenity. And now...

"You've got this, Rinrin! You just gotta-" Ako's jaw drops. "Huh?! Max Steelspike?!"

Yup; Urshifu's faster. And it's not uncommon for final bosses to have moves that cover their weaknesses. This Urshifu... probably had Iron Head, or something similar, to deal with Fairy-types...

...but Rinko already expected this.

Ako's nervous chattering almost worries her too; but even as low as Gardevoir's defense is, her secret weapon should be able to do the trick.

"Oh,,,,, noooooooooo-" Ako's jaw drops again. "Wait, that barely did half! Wh-" Ako's jaw drops a third time. "A B-Babiri Berry?!?!?!?!"

Yes...! She can't help but feel pride swelling into her, coursing through her body. Ako's cheers of delight make the preparation... so much more worth it, than if she was playing alone. Pulling a strategy off feels really rewarding when she gets to shock someone else with it too. It's exhilarating.

"It reduced the damage! Oh my god, you're so cool, Rinrin!"

"A-ah! Ako...!"

She giggles as Ako nearly bowls her over from behind in a massive hug, curls of moist purple hair brushing her cheek. But she can't lose focus just yet; here comes Gardevoir's counterattack!

With a graceful movement of Gardevoir's (Gigantamaxed) arm, the sky clears over Urshifu, heralding a relentless downpour of star-shaped meteors. They devastatingly devour the imposing titan's form...

...sending it skydiving from max HP to 0. A clean one-hit KO; even if it's a Legendary, it's not going to survive a quad-effective attack like that!

"YOU DID IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIT!" 

Rinko doesn't even want to look at what happens next; instead, she immediately puts the Switch aside, turning around and opening her arms so Ako can dive right into the crook of her neck. All at once, her adorable girlfriend flops onto her and gives her an even squishier hug than before.

"Rinrin, I love you... I really, really love you!"

"I... love you too." It's embarrassing to say, so... she keeps Ako nestled in her neck. "To be honest... I missed you while you were gone too."

Despite her best efforts, though, Ako pokes up and gets a full view of the flush on Rinko's face. "See? Half an hour really is too long." 

"Yeah. You're right..." 

Rinko tightens her embrace a bit. Ako singing into her shoulders, Ako wiggling around to a less awkward position... having Ako so close is the best feeling in the world. She's so... comforting.

"What do you wanna do... now that we're together again...?"

"Hmmmm. I'm kinda sleepy. Tomoe made me do all my homework yesterday," Ako yawns. "Can I just watch you, Rinrin?"

"Yeah... I don't mind."

Ako's by her side as she leans down on the bed and picks the Switch back up, continuing to comment on what happens. 'You bet she's 'surpassed' you! Rinrin's amazing!' follows a peck on Rinko's cheek, and she wonders if she could be any more self-indulgent than she is right now.

There was... a time where she was okay with playing in her room alone. It was better than fearing what'd happen if she expressed her interests to someone else, better than fearing what a terrible conversational partner she might be. But as appealing an option as that still is sometimes... these days, she can't help but think about how much she wants Ako here too. More often than not, a game or novel's made really fun when Ako's around... even if it means she doesn't get through it as fast.

Ako didn't have to reach out on that day. She didn't have to talk to her. But Rinko's so grateful that she did. Because of that destined encounter, there's so many more worlds that've been unlocked, so much more for the both of them to explore.

And she can take all the time she needs to prepare for them.

The seconds tick by, nothing life-changing happening in-between. The sky darkens outside. Occasionally, Ako stops talking and nuzzles closer to Rinko instead... brushing herself against her in much the same way a cat would. It's the kind of enveloping softness that makes Rinko feel fine with taking it slow, having a rest. She... hasn't done much today, all things considered, but she's enjoyed it enough as-is. She can always pick up the pace tomorrow; for now, it feels better to just relax in the clouds with her girlfriend instead.

Soon enough, it's pitch-black save for the bright little screen; and when Rinko's eyes start flickering too, she knows it's probably time she and Ako got to sleep. Late-night gaming... isn't as good an idea when Roselia has practice in the morning.

"Rinrin," she hears as she puts the Switch away, "can we sleep together again?"

"...Sure..."

The duvet welcomes them both.

She'll never tire of it. She... can't count the number of things in the world she fears; least of all the little parts of her life... like how she's going to speak her mind with her band, or what comes after the end of this year... or how she's going to cope, with the times where she'll be alone. It's hard enough to even try and keep up with the planet at large, and pick on a few things to focus her mind to; her messups in the everyday are discouraging enough to begin with, after all.

But any time she's in this embrace, it's a haven that puts her mind at ease. One that's a little squirmy and mumbly, sure... but Ako just isn't the same without those cute qualities. They're further reminders that they're both still human, their hearts still beating and alive, here and now. It's... the boost she needs. The buff to her max HP and MP, the multiplier to her attack speed, the summons that empower her, and the regen that may as well be permanent; the healing Ako gives her heart no matter how far apart they are.

"Mmm."

Ako leans against her and rests their noses together. Well... the regen's... definitely stronger when they're up close.

Hehe.

Rinko reaches out and strokes a curl of Ako's hair. "Do you... want to go through the math homework tomorrow? Sayo might get... angry if you miss the deadline again..."

There's a slight grumble. "...Guess I gotta. Thanks, Rinrin..."

"Fufu." Rinko draws her close, wrapping arms around Ako's shoulders. "We can always... go to a cafe, and get some sweets while we do it."

"...Mwehe. Yeah, that sounds good!" Ako beams. "Just you watch... the hidden necromantic... formulas in my... eye... will..."

The little demon yawns, and wraps back around Rinko.

"...night'.... Rinrin..."

"...Goodnight... Ako."

A small kiss, and Rinko's right where she feels the safest. Facing the one she loves, wrapped in comfort together. The fan of the computer is the only noise in the room's soothing blue, accompanying her whisper:

"I love you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the last chapter of this lil' collection; thanks for readin through these!!! I'll probably make another collection for oneshots in the future, because I've definitely got plenty of lesbian to go


End file.
